The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1887-10-12
SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL.

Microbes are responsible for many
things. The latest theory of indigo is
that Of VI. +. Alvarez, member OF the
French Academy Of Sciences, who says
that it Is the product Of fermentation
determined in a special microbe greatly
resembling that Of pneumonia.
1t has been usual to state, in general
sort of way, that the red currant has
been cultivated "since the time Of Julius
Caesar" DR.. Sturtevant, of the Agricul-
tural Station at Geneva, New York, In
recently published history Of the currant,
says 1t was not cultivated till the close
of the sixteenth century.
If the condensed breath collected on
the cool window panes Of a
room where number of persons
have been assembled, be burned,
a smell as of slnged hair will show the
presence of organic matter, and II the
condensed breath be allowed to remain
on the windows for few days, it will be
found, on examination by microscope,
that il is alive with animalculi. 1t is the
inhalation of air containing such putres-
cent matter which causes half of the SICK
headaches, which might be avoided by
| circulation of fresh air.
1t has been found that the most practi-
cable method of testing color blindness
| is by means of the Berlin worsteds,
which come in all possible spectral col
ors and all shades of these colors. The
advantages possessed by these worsteds
| for this purpose it is asserted, are that
! they are evenly colored on all sides, have
I uo.tefection, are soft and easily handled
and always ready for use. They are done
up in little skeins of uniform size and
appearance, the colors being red, orange,
yellow, green, pure green, blue green,
blue, violet purple, pink, brown, gray,
several shades of each color, and at least
five gradations of each tint, from the
deepest to the lightest.
The air of the sea, taken at a great
distance from land, or even on the shore
and in ports when the wind blows from
the open, is in an almost perfect state OF
purity. Near continents the land winds
drive before them an atmosphere always
impure, but at 100 kilometers from the
coasts this impurity has disappeared. The
sea rapidly purifies the pestilential at
mosphere of continents; hence every
expanse of water of a certain breadth be
comes an absolute obstacle to the propa'
ton of epidemics. Marine atmosphere
driven upon land purify sensibly the all
of the regions which they traverse; this
publication can be recognized as far as
Paris. The sea is the tomb of mouds and
of aerial schizOphytes
As a breeder of diseases says the Chi.
tioatOr, there are few things that exec
the average farmhouse cellar. 1t under
lies the whole house, with nothing tC
prevent its eXhalations rising into the
upper rooms except a thin board floor
In this cellar all manner of things fol
family use are kept the season round
Meat, vegetables, milk, butter, bread
pastry, preserves, pickles and fruit are
here stored in their various receptaclcs
There is very seldom anything to sep
arate the fruit and vegetables from othe
parts of the cellar, and there is usual.
more or less decaying vegetable matte
to load the air with poisonous germs
At various seasons of the year the Gel
lar walls collect dampness, or small pool
of water lie under the loose board floors
sending up malarious odors into tn
rooms above.
DR.. Grifiths, an English physician
has recently demonstrated that iron sui
phate is an antidote for many of the mos
yiruleat epidemiCs which attack tiel'
and garden crops. These diseases ar
due to microscopic funguses, who's
structures are built up in a somewha
: different manner from the correspondent!
parts in other plants. 1t appears tina
J the cellulose in these funguses is acte'
upon by iron sulphate, whereas in tn
higher plants the cellulose of the cell
J walls is not influenced. The iron sui
phate destroys the cellulose of the fun
guses, but does not affect that of the at
tackled plant. 1t is, therefore, an anti
dote and destroyer of such parasite
germs and funguses as the potato disease
wheat mildew, etc.